CARLSBAD, California — PUMA Golf announced the signing of Canadian golfer Adam Svensson, who is entering his first full season as a professional golfer with full status on the Web.com Tour. Svensson will don PUMA Golf apparel and accessories on-course throughout the 2016 golf season.

“Adam is a great fit for PUMA Golf,” said Dave Burgess, Director of Marketing at COBRA PUMA GOLF Canada. “He has proven his skills on the course and has a cool style and swagger. We are thrilled to be adding him to our Tour team.”

Victoria's Naomi Ko, Who Plays Out Of Royal Colwood GC, Has Qualified For This Summer's U.S. Women's Open - Image Courtesy Golf Canada

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Naomi Ko called it the round of her life and it could not have come at a better time for the 18-year-old Victoria native. A clutch five-under 67 in the second round of a 36-hole sectional qualifier at The Home Course in Dupont, Wash., earned Ko a spot in this summer’s U.S. Women’s Open.

Ko, a member of Canada’s national amateur team and former B.C. Junior Girls champion, topped a field of 48 players to earn the one spot available at the Monday qualifier.

Port Moody's Brendan Dillon Was The Top Canadian At The Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada Q-School Held At Crown Isle Resort and Golf Community In Courtenay - Image Courtesy VGT

courtesy Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour

(May 6, 2016 – Courtenay, B.C.) – Lake Elsinore, California’s Aaron Wise shot an even-par 72 on Friday at Crown Isle Resort and Golf Community to take medalist honours and earn fully exempt status for the 2016 Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada season at the British Columbia Qualifying Tournament.

The 19-year old sophomore at the University of Oregon finished at 14-under for the week, two shots ahead of Dallas, Texas’ Conrad Shindler and Atherton, California’s Jonathan Garrick.

Port Moody's Brendan Dillon was the top Canadian Finisher at 6-under par in a T6th followed closely by Langley's Adam Cornelson and Thomas Hay one shot back  at 5-under and T9th. The top 16 finishers earned exempt status for the 2016 Mckenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada season.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Florida — PGA TOUR Champions and Pacific Links International announced that the 2016 Pacific Links Championship, originally set to be contested in Tianjin, China, has moved to Bear Mountain Resort in Victoria, British Columbia. The tournament dates will remain September 19-25, with the field increasing from 60 players to 81 players, and the purse remaining $2.5 million.

Conference championship week saw several Canadians in action. Top-ranked Jared du Toit finished in a tie for 19th at the PAC-12 Championship. The tournament was won by the National Amateur Team member’s Arizona State teammate – and current world No. 1 – Jon Rahm.

Joey Savoie makes his return to the Top-10, replacing fellow Saint Leo teammate Hugo Bernard.

Sagebrush Is Almost Set For Its Re-Birth - Image Courtesy Sagebrush

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

The highly anticipated re-opening of Sagebrush is now scheduled for early June. The initial hope was to have the Merritt-area course open later this month, but general manager Scott Masse says a little more time is needed to get the facility ready. Sagebrush remained closed last year and was sold this past fall by its original owners to Newmark Group, a Langley-based residential construction company.

Adam Cornelson (L) And Mike Belle (R) Are Both Headed To The Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada Q-School At Crown Isle Next Week - Image Courtesy GNAC/SFU

By Brad Ziemer. British Columbia Golf

Adam Cornelson has been there and done that. Unfortunately, he now has to do it all over again. Mike Belle has never done it before, but can’t wait to get started. 

The two Vancouver Golf Club members are heading to next week’s Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada qualifying school at Crown Isle Golf Course in Courtenay with very different perspectives. Belle is a 23-year-old rookie pro, who is anxious to test his game at the next level. Cornelson, 28, has been at the pro game for a few years and was hoping he’d seen the last of Q-school.

Austin James gained 20 spots in the world rankings after finishing in a tie for second at the Coca-Cola Wofford Invitational. It was the No. 3 ranked amateur in Canada’s seventh straight Top-10 result and his third consecutive Top-5 showing. His 10-under 206 total was the third lowest in school history.

Alistair Docherty picked up 19 places in the world rankings after finishing runner-up at the Hanny Stanislaus Invitational, just three strokes behind the winner. The result moved the senior at Chico State up to No. 5 in the Canadian rankings. The New Brunswick native, currently the top-ranked Division II golfer, was also one of 10 collegiate golfers selected to represent the U.S. in the 2016 Palmer Cup – the collegiate version of the Ryder Cup.

 Langley's Jessica Wallace Sits Fifth On The Symetra Tour Money List After Her Latest Top 10 Finish On The LPGA Tour's Developmental Circuit - Image Courtesy Golf Canada

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Langley’s Jessica Wallace recorded her second top-10 finish Sunday in three Symetra Tour starts this year at the Chico’s Patty Berg Memorial tourney in Fort Myers, Fla. Wallace closed with a one-under 71 to finish the 72-hole event at two-under par and tied for eighth place.

The Chico’s tourney had a unique format that saw members of the LPGA’s Legends Tour play with Symetra Tour players on the weekend.

Billy Horschel Watches Helplessly As A Gust Of Wind Takes His Golf Ball Down The Slope From The 15th Green Into The Water Hazard Below - Image Courtesy Streamable.com

British Columbia Golf, with files from Golf Saskatchewan

Anyone watching the Masters this past Saturday likely had the opportunity to witness one of the stranger and perhaps more unfortunate incidents of the tournament...forgetting about, of course, Jordan Spieth's troubles on the 12th hole on Sunday.

The bizarre incident came on the par-5 15th hole during Saturday's 3rd round after 3-time PGA TOUR winner Billy Horschel landed his second shot just off the side of the green. His chip onto the green ran past the hole and toward the water. It did stop and Horschel rushed over to mark it, almost sensing that the wind could take over at any moment.

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LAKE WALES, Florida (Golf Canada) — Samantha Richdale won the Symetra Tour’s Florida’s Natural Charity Classic, closing with a 3-under 69 for a one-stroke victory.

The 32-year-old Kelowna, B.C., player had a 7-under 209 total at Lake Wales Country Club. She earned $26,250 for her fourth career victory on the tour. She won once in 2008 and twice in 2009.

“I’m very excited,” said Richdale, who last won on the Symetra Tour on August 23, 2009 at the Turkey Hill Classic in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. “It seems like forever the last time I won so this is a big day for me.”

For the first time in history the Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada is coming to the Okanagan Valley. Now is your chance to get your tickets and be a part of history.

The GolfBC Championship runs the week of June 6th - 12th, 2016 with competition days taking place June 9th - 12th at Gallagher’s Canyon Golf and Country Club in Kelowna.

Four-day Championship Tournament Passes are now on sale online for a limited time offer of $25. This represents a savings of $15 off the Day Pass admission price. The Championship Pass is valid all day for all four days of tournament play June 9th - 12th.

Jared du Toit (Photo/Golf Canada Archive)

Josh Whalen moves from No. 11 up to No. 9 in the Canadian rankings after picking up 28 spots in the world rankings. The junior from Napanee, Ont., finished tied for 20th at the Aggie Invitational that included an opening-round 69 which had him tied for first place after the first day. It was his second Top-20 result of the season.

The only other player in the Top-10 to move up in the world rankings this past week was Alastair Tidcombe, who finished tied for 16th at the Azalea Invitational.

Jared du Toit, who carries the No. 1 ranking in Canada for the second straight week, finished tied for 17th at the ASU Thunderbird Invitational. It was his seventh Top-20 finish of the season.

(Golf Canada/Claus Andersen)

Nick Taylor made the biggest move among the Top-10, gaining 52 spots in the world rankings with a tie for fifth at the PGA’s Puerto Rico Open – his second-best career result, behind only his first PGA Tour victory last year. It was his first Top-10 result of the season and was worth 4.96 world ranking points – his third points-paying finish in the last seven weeks.

No. 1 ranked Graham DeLaet climbed two spots after finishing in a tie for 11th at the PGA’s Puerto Rico Open. The result was worth 2.76 world ranking points for his third straight points-paying finish in as many tournaments. The Weyburn, Sask., native has climbed 40 spots in the world rankings over the last four weeks.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, and DAYTONA BEACH, Florida (Kelly Schultz/LPGA) — The PGA TOUR and the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) announced that they have formalized their longstanding cooperative relationship by entering into a long-term, written strategic alliance agreement designed to further promote the growth of golf. This partnership between the leading men’s and women’s professional golf tours will include areas such as schedule coordination, joint marketing programs, domestic television representation, digital media and exploring the potential development of joint events.

Adam Hadwin finished tied for 16th at PGA’s Northern Trust Open, his second straight Top-20 result of the season. His final-round 66 was the best score of the day and the finish marked his best career result at Riviera, which was good for a 15-spot gain in the world rankings for the No. 3 ranked golfer in Canada.

His gain of 4.95 world ranking points was his third points-paying finish in the last four tournaments. He has earned a total of almost 16 world ranking points over that span and if he can make up the 14-place gap between himself and No. 2 Graham DeLaet by the second week in July, he will qualify for one of two Olympic spots for Canada.

Fellow Abbotsford, B.C., native Nick Taylor made the biggest gain among the Top-10, picking up 28 spots in the world rankings after finishing in a tie for 26th at Riviera. That was good for 2.67 world ranking points – the second straight points-paying finish in as many weeks for the No. 4 ranked golfer in Canada.

Langley, B.C.'s Jessica Wallace Came Within One Shot Of Forcing A Playoff In The Season-Opening IOA Championship On The Symetra Tour - Image Courtesy Golf Canada

Tyler Costigan/ Golf Canada

BEAUMONT, Calif. – Canada’s Jessica Wallace finished runner-up at the Symetra Tour’s season-opening IOA Championship on Sunday at the Morongo Golf Club at Tukwet Canyon.

Wallace, a Langley, B.C., native, posted a final round 70 (-2), pushing a par-putt on 18 to just miss forcing a playoff with champion Erynne Lee of Los Angeles, Calif., who rallied with a final round 65 (-7) for the come-from-behind victory.

Kelowna's Megan Osland Is One Of Ten Canadians Including Four From British Columbia Teeing It Up In The Symetra Tour's Season Opener In California - Image Courtesy KelownaNow

Tyler Costigan/ Golf Canada

BEAUMONT, Calif. – Ten Canadians are set to kick-off the Symetra Tour’s 2016 season this Friday with the IOA Championship presented by Morongo Casino Resort and Spa.

Courtesy Golf Canada

ADELAIDE, Australia – Canadian-based South Korean SooBin Kim shot a course-record 9-under 63 on Thursday to leave top-ranked Lydia Ko and Canadian sweetheart Brooke Henderson seven strokes behind at the Women’s Australian Open.

Kim’s bogey-free opening round came after starting on the 10th hole of The Grange’s West course. She had a three-stroke clubhouse lead over American Casey Grice with most of the afternoon groups, including five-time champion Karrie Webb, on the course.

The Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada’s 2016 schedule will include 12 events from May to September, highlighted by two new tournaments and 10 returning events from 2015, as players look to make the next step on the path to the PGA TOUR.

The season will once again begin in May with the Freedom 55 Financial Open (May 23-29) at Point Grey Golf and Country Club in Vancouver, B.C., with purses of $175,000 (CA$) for the first 11 events and a $200,000 (CA$) purse for the season-ending Freedom 55 Financial Championship (Sept. 12-18) at Highland Country Club in London, Ont.